Local Video
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| Proposal would add more Spanish to Companeros |
By: SUZANNE ROOK, Managing Editor
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Posted: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 12:18 am
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NORTHFIELD — School Board members want time to consider the proposed changes to the district’s elementary Spanish immersion program, a plan school officials say will ensure literacy in students’ native and second languages.
In a presentation Monday, Superintendent Chris Richardson laid out a multi-step plan that would take effect over five years, as students move through the program, Companeros. Instruction in Companeros is now 35 percent in Spanish/65 percent in English.
The plan, Richardson said, would equalize the instruction with half in Spanish, half in English for those in first through fifth grades, as well as have one section of Companeros for first through fifth grades at each school.
As it stands, the Spanish instruction isn’t properly equipping students, secondary Spanish teachers have found. And while Companeros students are fluent in the language, they’re not reading or writing it as well as they should be.
It’s those findings that led to the revamp of Companeros, which has enrolled an increasing number of students whose first language is Spanish. The literacy issue is exacerbated for them, said Richardson, because they’re not becoming literate in their first language, which makes learning English that much more difficult.
The plan, formulated by a committee of district instructors and administrators relying in part on a 2004-05 study of the program, also adds an optional full day kindergarten for about 20 Spanish speaking students with the lowest oral language skills. That would provided a higher level of support than typically found while offering 90 percent of instruction in Spanish.
That, Richardson said, would allow them to begin first grade on a more even level with their peers. It’s expected that class would be located at Greenvale Park Elementary, but could move if needed, said Richardson.
School board members Ellen Iverson and Kari Nelson praised the plan, saying it aligned with parent feedback taken at this fall’s public input sessions. Parents there were most comfortable with the 50/50 split, wanting students to gain a higher level of literacy in both languages.
And though Iverson has lingering questions about potential transportation savings and costs to update media centers, she applauded the kindergarten piece of the plan.
“I like being able to provide that early readiness,” she said.
Placing students
The timing couldn’t be better to make changes to Companeros, said Richardson. In the next few weeks, the district will roll out its elementary reassignment proposal needed to accommodate the Sibley Elementary expansion.
With five sections at each elementary school by the 2014-15, Companeros would be reduced from its current 20 sections. School officials don’t expect applications to slow, but envision restarting a lottery system to determine placement, which concerns board chair Nelson whose own children applied to the program during a period of high demand.
“There will be people who want to do it (Companeros) and can not,” she said, adding that she would prefers quality over quantity. “To not put a quality program out there isn’t doing right by the kids.”
The board asked for a more detailed plan on student placement, wondering how the district would ensure balance between Spanish- and English-speaking students. Research, Richardson said, proves that all students perform better when there is a good balance of both students in an immersion class like Companeros.
Costs for the change are estimated at $34,500 per year for each of the next five years, but could be offset if other materials aren’t purchased. If approved, the district won’t add additional teachers, but instead hire more bilingual instructors.
Training costs would vary from year to year, totaling an estimated $31,000.
Richardson defends the expense, saying that training is vital to improving the program.
The plan will be discussed at the Feb. 22 and March 8 meetings. A vote is expected March 8.
WHAT’S YOUR OPINION?
Anyone wishing to opine on the proposed changes to the district’s Spanish immersion program can speak during the public comment period during the School Board’s Feb. 22 and March 8 meetings or e-mail the superintendent at Chris.Richardson@nfld.k12.mn.us.
— Suzanne Rook is the managing editor and covers education. She can be reached at srook@northfieldnews.com or 645-1113.
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When will parents get to see materials detailing the implementation of this plan?
Sounds great to me, as long as they are steering away from forcing every student to learn spanish...
Parentvoice,
What kind of details are you looking for? Chris Richardson said he plans to have information presented to the board on the school's Web site, but I know that was delayed due to Tuesday's snow day.
Suzy
Like, will existing kids in Companeros be kicked out to reduce the number of sections offered? Or will the reduction be phased in?
Ok, now they've posted the details--thanks.
Big issue that was not addressed that has plagued the school district: how to balance classroom sizes. Due to normal attrition and drop outs of the Companeros program, the upper grades (3-5) have lower class sizes while the contemporary classrooms grow even larger. This has caused for "contingency funds" to be expended to deal with this issue (aka, more cost due to the Companeros program). How do they plan to mitigate this issue?
Also, "hiring more bilingual instructors" and "replacing" as stated in the materials posted on the district's website means "getting rid of" current non-bilingual teachers -- doesn't it? How do the teachers feel about that? Also, one might assume that bilingual teachers get paid more than non-bilingual teachers. Where are those increased costs estimated?
On another note, I am glad to see that they are limiting it to one section per grade level per school over time. Kids (and parents) need to learn that you can't have everything - especially at the expense of taxpayers.
Parentvoice,
If you haven't yet seen the district's proposal, the reductions would be phased in over time, allowing students in the program to remain. The incoming numbers, however, would be reduced.
What other areas of this topic would you like addressed in future stories?
Suzy